As I write this I am on hold with XM radio. This is the third time in 60 days that I have had the same conversation with them. The problem is with my online access, when you have a radio connected in your vehicle you are able to access the radio via your computer. In the past this was always a free service but at the beginning of the year they decided to charge more for the online radio. The charge was a nominal $2.50 per year for existing customers so I signed up because the local radio here is an absolute joke. I'm pretty sure this is where DJ's go to die or is just a quick stop before being flushed out the bottom of the industry.
Back to the problem at hand, my online service has been off for a month. I pay them more money and they turn off my radio and as of yet they are unable to get me back to the regularly scheduled program. I am ready to crawl through the phone and eat thier face, Hannibal Lecter style.

There is really no reason for this post other than to rant.

The end.

Gooseberry Mesa

The weather finally cooperated with my schedule and I took the SS out to Gooseberry Mesa for a ride. I was supposed to meet a few of the peeps at 6am to drive out, using my normal M.O. I didn't tell anyone that I was coming. I like to keep my schedule unfettered in case I want to do something else. So when I showed up a few minutes late they were already gone. I must have passed them along the way because when I got to the trail head I was all alone. The thermometer in my truck read 25 degrees so I took my time getting ready hoping for the homies to show and the sun to come up.

This is a view toward Zion National Park from the trail head parking lot.


My friends never showed and I was getting cold so I left them figuring that I could meet up with them somewhere on the trail.
I have been riding out at Goose since 1997, I keep a riding log of all my rides and in back in 2001 I rode this trail 38 times so there are no real surprises. It's like putting on a old comfy shirt, it just feels good.



I rode out on the south rim all the way to the point, this being the first time on my singlespeed I was having a ball tackling each obstacle in a slightly different way than normal. At the point I turned around and retraced my route back to Hidden Canyon all the while expecting to run into the group. I took HC across the mesa to the North Rim or White Trail. When that trail joins back to the road I had been riding for almost 2 hours and I ran across a few guys from our group. They had a story to tell about a couple of guys that waited until they got to the trail head to work on their bikes. They had been riding about 20 minutes, I sure like those guys but every time I ride with them it is a similar situation, lots of waiting and not a lot of riding.

Here is the Gooseberry map so you can see my route.



Very few people know that there is a slickrock arch on the mesa. It is small but cool non-the-less.



A shot of Pine Valley mountain across the slickrock domes. PV mountain is the largest lacolith in the U.S. Look it up.




Me trying to be artsy. That's the south rim looking at St. George in the far distance.



This shot is my new desktop picture.


I had a great time, I love Gooseberry and the Coconino just made it that much better.

Memo to self; find some new guys to ride with.